It's Time To Begin
by FinchelLovxrs
Summary: When all your friends have moved on with their lives, but you're still stuck in the past, how on earth do you forge a decent future? By taking on the world with your friends by your side, of course! If only it were that easy... Mainly a Finntana & Hummelberry friendship based fic with lots of romance tossed in for good measure ;)


**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for clicking on this story. I know Glee fanfics are much harder to come by nowadays. And since I've read pretty every Finchel fanfic on this site, I figured I should contribute something.**

 **Rated T for now, because of Santana Lopez's foul mouth ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Glee and I don't pretend to.**

* * *

 ** _Lima, Ohio_**

"Santana, are you sure about this?" Finn rubbed his hands together nervously, peering over the edge of the cliff.

Santana rolled eyes. "100% sure. Now jump before I push you."

Finn glanced back at Santana, who was prepping her hands for a good shove. Reacting quickly before she could implement said shove, he jumped off, his stomach tumbling and tumbling until he finally hit the water below.

He heard Sam and Blaine cheering up above and looked up to see Santana smirking at him with her arms crossed. A very "I told you so" kind of look on her face.

Next up was Blaine, then Santana, then Sam finally joined them and they all kicked around the water for a bit, splashing each other, having competitions to see who could hold their breath longest (Blaine won, with his damn advanced singer lungs).

It was the first time in a while Finn felt okay. He was smiling and he was with friends.

His life had been a whirlwind since graduation. He joined the army, got sent home, tried to make up with Rachel, broke up with Rachel, led the New New Directions for a while and helped lead them during the musical.

And now, he didn't know. Shue was coming back tomorrow and he wouldn't be needed anymore.

Shue would never tell him that, of course. But what would the Glee Club need with two directors? Especially when one of them had already been leading for years.

Once he was back, well, Finn guessed he'd just be going back to the autoshop. Which honestly made him more depressed than anything. He'd spent his whole high school career doing what he could to avoid being a Lima loser. And now he'd be just that.

Hell, he even hung out with high schoolers. Blaine and Sam were awesome, but it was pretty sad that his only friends were a year younger and still in high school.

Except for Santana of course, who he'd been spending a lot of time with lately. They'd formed a strange sort of bond when she came back to help with the musical and decided to drop out of college. They'd both been through relatively the same things and were stuck in the same rut.

She'd been the co-director with him since Shue had been gone. So he didn't know what her plans were either, but he assumed they were about the same as his. Stay with family and try to earn enough money to move out and find their own places.

He was snapped out of his stupor by Sam splashing water in his face. "Earth to Finn."

Finn sputtered and wiped the droplets from his eyes. "W-what?" He asked.

"I said do you wanna head back now? It's getting pretty dark." Blaine answered, his shoulders, neck, and the head the only visible parts now.

Finn nodded and began lightly kicking to get back to the rocks. "Yeah lets go."

The other three followed and sat on the rocks, drying their legs and bodies off but making no move to leave.

The moon was beautiful tonight and had just begun shining bright in the sky. He couldn't blame them.

It was cold now, but it had been decent when they first got here. It had been Sam's idea to just go out and have a day of fun. They'd bought Finn and Santana lunch as a way of saying thank-you. Sam and Blaine made a good team and it made Finn happy that the New Directions were in good hands (though selfishly, he still thought he and Rachel were the ultimate team leaders).

After they ate they drove around in Finn's truck for a bit, before coming upon this huge lake. Naturally, it was Santana's idea to jump off the rocks and into the water. But Finn was glad he did it. The water felt cleansing in a way. And it was nice to just _be_. To not be freaking out over his future.

Which is why they were all rather reluctant to leave now.

"Man, I'm really gonna miss this place next year. For all the crap we give it about being a cow town, it really is beautiful." Blaine sighed, his chin tucked into his knees.

Sam nodded. "Agreed. Especially right now. It's just, quiet. The moon is bright and the star are shining. I don't think you'd ever get a view of the night sky like this in the city."

The other three nodded, lost in their own thoughts. Once night had completely descended and they could hear the crickets, Finn decided it was time to go.

"C'mon guys. I have to get you two home before curfew. We have a long drive back." Finn pushed Blaine lightly and playfully, standing up and leading the trek back to the rest of their discarded clothes and his truck.

The all put their clothes back on and piled into his truck. "Anyone need a blanket?" He asked.

"You carry blankets in your truck? Damn, you're prepared for anything, huh?" Sam chuckled.

Finn cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, they were actually for Rachel. She wore those skirts all the time, even in the winter, so they were for her."

"Ah." Sam shut his mouth after that, seemingly regretful that he even brought it up.

The ride was quiet for about twenty minutes until Blaine spoke up and leaned forward. "What do you say we listen to the radio? Maybe even sing along." Blaine grinned from Santana to Finn, the latter whom was staring straight at the road.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Always ready to show off your vocals, huh? Fine." She pushed the 'on' button with one half-manicured, now half-chipped nail thanks to the water.

Finn finally calmed down when Blaine and Sam sang Katy Perry's "Roar" loudly from the backseat. Even Santana joined a moment later.

The last time Finn felt this great around other people was graduation.

Since then it had been disappointment and shame that flooded his gut. Pride fought it's way through on opening night of the musical, but it disappeared soon after.

By the time they got back to Lima, it was nine o'clock and Finn was surprised at how quickly they got there. He dropped Sam off at Blaine's because the two were going to study for an exam tomorrow.

Which left him with Santana. "So, you want me to take you home?" Finn asked, his thumbs hitting the steering wheel to the beat of the music.

Santana thought for a second. "Nah, lets go eat dinner." She sat back, throwing feet back up onto the dashboard.

Finn look at her, shocked. "You want to hang out with me? In public? Without other people involved?"

She snorted in amusement, refusing to look at him. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, you're the only person my age that can actually stand to be around me. So, yeah. Now are we going to go eat or do I have to fucking walk there myself?" She snapped.

"Y-yeah. I mean, no. Let's go." Finn sputtered, starting the car again and heading towards Breadstixs.

He was shocked that Santana considered him an actual friend and not someone she was forced to hang out with because of Glee Club. He knew how she felt though.

Quinn and Mike were off at their respective colleges. Mercedes was back in L.A making her dreams come true. Kurt and Rachel were in New York. Hell, even Puck was in L.A figuring himself out.

Santana had dropped out of college for her own reasons that he was sure had to do with not knowing what she was doing. And Finn got kicked out of the army after shooting himself in the foot.

They were the only two left in Lima. The only two that hadn't gotten out of this crap town. He was sure Santana would get out. It was himself he'd never been sure about.

He pulled into the parking lot and she got out immediately, slamming the door shut.

He followed, jogging up to her easily. "Hey, this won't be like last time where you ditch me and make me pay for your meal is it?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood.

She smirked at him. "Nah, that's only when I'm on a date with someone. Which this certainly is not."

Finn chuckled. Sometimes it was weird to remember that it had only been a few years ago that they dated (well, with Brittany sometimes). And also that they'd had sex. I mean, this was the girl he'd lost his virginity to and now she strictly into women.

It kinda hurt his pride but also gave him relief that he wouldn't have to worry about messy feelings and they could just friends.

"So you're paying for yourself?" Finn asked cheerfully, waiting to be seated.

She sent him a look. "Yes, dumbass."

He laughed and walked behind her as the waiter brought them over to a small booth towards the windows.

He thanked the man and Santana began browsing through the menu.

"Hudson? Lopez? What the fuck are you two doing here?" A new voice wafted over to them. Finn looked up and was annoyed to see Rick "The Stick" Nelson coming up to their table. One of the biggest hockey-douches to ever walk the halls of McKinley.

"Just eating dinner." Finn shrugged, reluctantly accepting the fist bump her offered.

Santana didn't bother hiding her disgust and her lips were raised in a sneer as Rick glanced her way.

"Whoa, are you two dating?" He asked shocked.

"No." "Fuck no." They both answered.

Rick laughed at their simultaneous responses. "Sorry, I just assumed."

"Nah, it's fine." Finn sighed. "So what are you doing here?"

Rick pointed over to a middle-aged couple by the door. "Just here visiting my parents for the weekend."

"Oh? Just for the weekend?" Finn asked curiously.

The other man nodded. "Yep. I go to Ohio University. Got there on a hockey based scholarship."

Finn and Santana exchanged a disbelieving glance.

Rick didn't seem to notice. "Look, I know we weren't exactly pals in high school, but next time I'm in town I'll look you guys up. You can tell me all about what you're up to. My mom is getting impatient." He chuckled.

Even though Finn's insides felt hollow, he reached out and shook Rick's hand. "Yeah, totally. Good luck at Ohio U, man."

"Thanks." Rick grinned, waving to both of them before jogging over to his parents, who led him out moments later.

Finn and Santana looked at eachother again, both thinking the exact same thing but not saying anything.

The visit from their "friend" had really dampened whatever good mood they had when they walked in. They ate in pure silence, though it was hardly awkward since they were both occupied by their own thoughts and barely noticed the silence between them.

When they finished, Finn didn't even think twice before slapping down enough money to cover both their meals and a small tip. Santana didn't protest either, she just put her coat back on.

He thanked the waiter at the front and led her to the front doors.

"So," Santana sighed, stepping through the door Finn held open for her, "Is this going to be our lives? Hanging out with high schoolers and eating at Breadstix? How fucking sad are we?"

Finn looked down, neither answering nor objecting to her statement. She said exactly what he'd been thinking for weeks but couldn't say out-loud.

He shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, I have Burt's autoshop. I can just work there until I can get my own place."

Santana squinted at him. "And you're okay with that?"

"No. Not at all. I thought I'd actually be doing something with my life. Going to college, doing something!" Finn slammed his fist on the truck, lowering his voice when an older couple behind Santana glared at him. "I thought I'd be with Rachel and we'd all be living happily in New York together. I never thought I'd be alone, directionless, and already ready to quit life."

Santana stared at him for a moment and it felt like she was really looking at him for the first time. "Me too. But, with Brittany, not Rachel." Is all she said.

"Maybe we shouldn't have based so much off our loved one's, huh? Well, ex-loved ones. Can we even call them that?" Finn laughed humorlessly, tugging himself into the car.

"Not to their faces. But I still love Brittany. Unfortunately." She said bitterly, strapping herself in.

"Yeah, I still love Rachel." He mumbled in agreement.

She shook her head. "Fuck me, we really are pathetic. Pining after our exes. Shit. I never thought I'd end up like this. I thought I'd be waving goodbye to all the fucking losers in this town. Instead, they're all waving at as they work towards a better life for themselves."

Finn had never seen her like this. She must've been an excellent actress because she'd been hiding all of this insanely well.

The last time he saw her this genuinely upset was when he outed her. Something he still regretted to this day. He was happy it ended well, but he still felt guilt for the way in happened every time he looked at her.

"Tell me about it. In high school I thought, hell, I was the quarterback, the Glee Club lead, I did decently in class my senior year. I thought, "I'm going to be okay". Boy was I wrong." He shook his head in disgust.

Santana nodded along. "Me too. I even got a fucking college scholarship!" She shook her head in disbelief at her own life and the mess it had become.

"Hey, can I ask? Why did you drop out? You were out of Lima. Why did you let that go?" Finn asked. He'd been wondering for a while now, but was too afraid to ask in case she decided to castrate him for even asking such a question.

She stared forward. "I hated it there. I didn't enjoy what I was doing and I'd never felt more alone. I just accepted the scholarship because it was _something_. But it turns out it just made me miserable. I was never passionate about cheerleading, it put me on top of the high school food-chain. That was it."

Finn nodded, getting where she was coming from. He'd never wanted to go pro in football, but it had been a good way to keep him popular and maybe give him a road out of Lima. Wrong on both accounts.

"So why did you come back to Lima?" He asked.

"It was home. Or it was familiar at least. I mean, what else was I going to do? Go bum off Mercedes in L.A.? Force my way into Quinn's dorm? No thanks. I don't need them judging me."

Finn placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "They wouldn't have judged you, Santana. That's how I felt when I went to New York after I was kicked out of the army. But the Glee Club... They were different. You and I both know that."

"Do you miss it? High school, the glee club?" She asked.

Finn sighed. "With every fiber of my being."

She nodded and he could've sworn he saw her gulp. He never would have thought he'd be sitting in his truck with Santana Lopez discussing Glee Club. He never would have thought Santana of all people would miss Glee Club like he did.

"Come on, we should get home." Finn started the car when he realized she wasn't going to say anything else.

They didn't turn on the radio this time, just looked out at the darkened town. Before he knew it, they were at her house.

She sighed when she saw it. "Well, thanks for dinner. See you tomorrow, I guess." She reached back and grabbed her bag when Finn leaned over and hugged her.

She scrunched up her face and slapped his shoulder. "Get off, get off BFG."

Finn couldn't help but smile. "Santana, stop being a bitch and just give me a hug."

He swore to cheesus that he could _hear_ her eyes rolling as she cautiously hugged him back.

He felt a shift in their relationship that night. One with more understanding and care than before. Before, they were tentative friends that didn't have much in common.

Finn almost laughed at how utterly sad and weird this was. He'd bonded with Santana over their failed life choices and directionless futures. But, he supposed, there were worse reasons to be friends with someone. And worse people to be friends with.

"Alright." She snapped after a few more moments. "This isn't an episode of Full House." She tugged herself away and Finn let out a laugh.

She smirked at him and shook her head, getting out of the car. "Goodnight, dumbass." She said, slamming the door.

Finn grinned, waving to her retreating figure. "Goodnight Santana." He shook his head and started back home.

Hey, if was going to be miserable in this cow town, at least he had someone to be in misery with. Like they say, "misery loves company", right?


End file.
